14 must-listen podcasts about scams

_THE GRIFT_ If you like your podcasts more bite-size than long-format, you’ll enjoy this 2017 anthology series by _New Yorker_ writer Maria Konnikova. In each self-contained episode, she

introduces a new con artist or grifter, such as “Fast Jack” Farrell, a card shark who cheated John Wayne and Frank Sinatra; Cassie Chadwick, an infamous Gilded Age seductress who

impersonated high-society royalty; and Ken Perenyi, a self-taught art forger. In under an hour, or sometimes less than 40 minutes, you’ll get a zippy account of a stunning crime. _CHAMELEON:

SCAM LIKELY_ Have you ever received a phone call from an unknown number marked “Scam Likely” on your caller ID? In the Campside Media podcast _Chameleon: Scam Likely_, investigative

journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee dives deep into the criminal underworld behind one of the biggest call center scams of all time, responsible for stealing more than $300 million from tens

of thousands of victims. Follow along as a team of government investigators traces the multinational schemers from suburban Texas to India. If you’re as engrossed as we were, check out

previous seasons, including _Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen_, about a criminal who stole money from entertainment industry gig workers who paid upfront fees for travel to film and television

projects that didn’t exist.   _SCAM GODDESS_ Perhaps the most lighthearted entry on this list, the Webby Award–winning podcast _Scam Goddess__ _is hosted by actress and comedian Laci

Mosley, who’s best known as a cast member on HBO’s _A Black Lady Sketch Show_. Each episode is dedicated to a historic or contemporary scammer, and Mosley is joined by such hilarious guests

as _Nailed It!_ host Nicole Byer, _The Bear_ breakout star Ayo Edebiri and Conan O’Brien (the show is produced by his podcast company). If you listen, you can even call yourself a member of

the “Con-gregation” — the official name of the show’s followers. (Hey, whatever it takes to make more people aware of scams.)  _THE MISSING CRYPTOQUEEN_ Think the concept of cryptocurrency

is a bit confusing? So do we! In 2014, Bulgarian-German fraudster Ruja Ignatova banked on that inscrutability when she founded OneCoin, which she pitched as a bigger, better Bitcoin. Within

two years, more than 3 million people had joined as part of a cultish recruitment program, before Ignatova disappeared without a trace. OneCoin ended up being a pyramid scheme, and the

founder was later placed on the FBI’s most wanted list. BBC Sounds host Jamie Bartlett kicked off a hunt for the still-missing criminal, described in his podcast, and turned his reporting

into a book of the same name that came out in 2022.   _SCAMFLUENCERS_ Since debuting _Scamfluencers__ _in 2022, hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi have explored the intersection between

social media and the wild tales of infamous scammers from the worlds of fashion, finance, health, wellness and beyond. Subjects have included the fake Saudi prince, Anthony Gignac; Tom

Brady’s “body coach” Alex Guerrero; and even Jen Shah, a member of the cast of _The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City_, who was arrested for federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit

money laundering. “I think people like injecting themselves into those stories,” Hagi has said. “It could really happen to anyone, and I think there’s something very captivating about that.”

   _THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR_ The true-crime podcast _The Shrink Next Door__ _from Wondery and Bloomberg follows the exploits of unscrupulous psychiatrist Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf, whom host and

veteran journalist Joe Nocera met shortly after buying a home in the Hamptons. Following a party at what he thought was Herschkopf’s house next door, he began scratching beneath the surface

and found that the therapist had a startling amount of control over Nocera’s real neighbor, his patient Marty Markowitz. Soon, Nocera was unraveling a sordid tale of emotional manipulation

and financial exploitation. Apple TV turned the story into a black comedy starring Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell as Herschkopf and Markowitz.